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South Carolina County
Colleton County, South Carolina
Walterboro's ACE Basin gateway and the Murdaugh murders - from the ACE Basin (the 350,000-acre conservation area at the confluence of the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto rivers - one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast, whose bottomland hardwoods, tidal marshes, and longleaf pine savannas support extraordinary biodiversity and were largely preserved through private conservation easements held by Lowcountry landowners) to the Murdaugh family murders (the 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in Colleton County and the subsequent unraveling of Alex Murdaugh's decades of financial fraud - involving one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families - became one of the most intensely followed criminal cases in American true crime history).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Services: Building permitting, inspections, floodplain management, zoning, and code enforcement for unincorporated Colleton County
Notes: Confirm whether the City of Walterboro maintains a separate permitting process for construction within city limits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Colleton County Veterans Affairs Office – Walterboro, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Colleton County Memorial Library – Walterboro, SC
Main Branch: Colleton County Memorial Library – 600 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488 | (843) 549-5621
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Colleton County’s seat, Walterboro – genuinely nicknamed “The Front Porch of the Lowcountry” – was founded shortly after the American Revolution by ACE Basin rice planters (from the Ashepoo, Edisto, and Combahee Rivers) seeking a summer retreat away from swamp-borne yellow fever; the town takes its name from early settlers Paul and Jacob Walter, with local tradition holding that Paul sought healthier ground after his young daughter Mary contracted malaria; the COLLETON COUNTY COURTHOUSE, designed by noted architect Robert Mills and completed in 1820 by Charleston contractors, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places both for its Greek Revival architecture and for genuine historical significance – in June 1828, the courthouse hosted the FIRST FORMAL MEETING ON NULLIFICATION in South Carolina, where Robert Rhett delivered a speech urging Governor John Taylor to convene the state legislature, a pivotal early moment in the states’-rights conflict that would eventually contribute to the lead-up to the Civil War; Colleton County today borders the ACE BASIN, one of the largest and most pristine undeveloped estuaries remaining on the U.S. East Coast, protected in part by the Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge; downtown Walterboro also features the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary, over 800 free-admission acres of boardwalk-accessible cypress swamp and hardwood flats, and the Colleton Museum, housed in a neo-Gothic former jail building
Notes: The Colleton County Courthouse’s genuine, well-documented role as the site of South Carolina’s first formal nullification meeting in 1828 is a historically significant piece of the lead-up to the Civil War era.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Colleton County GIS – accessible via colletoncounty.org
Parcel Search: Colleton County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Colleton County Fire-Rescue-Emergency Management Division
Services: An open-admission shelter funded and controlled by the county, working closely with nonprofit partner Friends of Colleton County Animal Shelter; no fee to surrender a stray; adoption fees are $150 for puppies (6 months and under), $90 for dogs, $70 for cats; adoption is open to non-residents as well; Animal Control Officers are trained through the National Animal Care and Control Association and respond to strays, abandonment, and abuse reports Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–4 PM, with after-hours on-call coverage
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Colleton County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Colleton County’s historic courthouse in Walterboro genuinely hosted South Carolina’s first formal meeting on nullification in 1828, a significant early moment in the states’-rights conflict that preceded the Civil War. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Colleton County
Colleton County is South Carolina’s ACE Basin gateway and Murdaugh true crime county – the 350,000-acre Lowcountry conservation treasure and the nationally followed murder trial of Alex Murdaugh define a community where old Lowcountry wealth and extraordinary natural heritage collide.
Walterboro (the county seat, population ~5,500) is the ACE Basin gateway – the town’s Lowcountry heritage and proximity to the conservation area attract ecotourism. The Murdaugh trial brought Colleton County Courthouse global attention in 2023.
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Colleton County Assessor at 31 Klein Street, Walterboro, SC 29488, phone 843-549-5221. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Colleton County Probate Court at 31 Klein Street, Walterboro, SC 29488, phone 843-549-5242, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
101 Hampton St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-5825
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Colleton County Probate Court, Walterboro (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1820 Colleton County Courthouse, NRHP-listed and designed by Robert Mills, is a significant local landmark with deep historical roots.
Local societies
No dedicated Colleton County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Colleton County is in the coastal Lowcountry region of South Carolina, seated in Walterboro. The 1820 Colleton County Courthouse, designed by architect Robert Mills in the Greek Revival style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the first meeting on nullification was held there in 1828.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Carolina HAS adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code, giving it more standardized and generally more streamlined procedures than states with older, common-law-based systems. Probate is handled by a dedicated Probate Court in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties – a separate court of limited jurisdiction, led by an elected Probate Judge (four-year term). The case is filed in the county where the decedent lived.
Small Estate Affidavit / Collection by Affidavit (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201) – available when the gross value of the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $45,000 (raised from $25,000 for deaths after May 2025). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no petition for appointment of a personal representative can be pending anywhere. The successor files a Form 420PC “Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property,” which the probate judge approves and countersigns.
Summary Administration (§ 62-3-1203) – a simplified probate procedure available when the value of the estate passing by will (less liens and encumbrances) is under the statutory threshold, or when the surviving spouse is the sole heir or beneficiary.
Informal Probate – the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – reserved for contested matters: objections to a personal representative’s appointment, will contests, a lost or destroyed will, or declaratory judgments on intestacy.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a petition with the Colleton County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it.
For informal probate, the Probate Judge (or a designated staff member) reviews the application administratively; formal proceedings require notice and a hearing.
The court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and provides periodic accountings as the court requires.
Creditors are notified; claims not timely presented are barred.
The estate closes with a final settlement – a verified report and proposed distribution served on interested parties and approved by the Probate Court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Colleton County directly for current fees.
A personal representative’s bond, when required, must equal one and one-half times the value of the estate’s personal property, though bond can often be waived under certain conditions.
South Carolina does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
101 Hampton St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-5825
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
101 Hampton St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-2211
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
101 Hampton St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-1097
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
415 Witsell St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-1517
Department of Social Services
328 Klein St, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 782-2500
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Colleton County Public Health (DHEC) – Walterboro, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Walterboro
Population: 38,000
Established: 1798
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Colleton County residents.
